QV Investors Inc. Sells 6,540 Shares of Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

QV Investors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) by 59.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,490 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,540 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $3,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AMAT. Moore Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Materials by 23.7% in the 2nd quarter. Moore Capital Management LP now owns 122,220 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $88,365,000 after purchasing an additional 23,427 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at $20,259,000. GTS Securities LLC increased its stake in Applied Materials by 473.6% during the 2nd quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 4,107 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,969,000 after purchasing an additional 3,391 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Applied Materials during the second quarter worth $75,728,000. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 23.8% during the second quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 55,311 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock worth $39,990,000 after buying an additional 10,637 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas J. Iannotti sold 9,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $599.77, for a total transaction of $5,547,872.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 40,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,326,071.43. This represents a 18.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Omkaram Nalamasu sold 24,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.43, for a total transaction of $14,398,392.09. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 146,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,184,361.88. This trade represents a 14.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 284,192 shares of company stock worth $172,625,209 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Applied Materials Stock Performance

Shares of AMAT opened at $461.67 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $550.80 and a 200 day moving average of $457.65. The company has a market capitalization of $366.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.80, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.61. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 12 month low of $154.46 and a 12 month high of $739.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.42, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The business’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is 18.28%.

Trending Headlines about Applied Materials

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor and AI demand remains strong: Recent coverage highlights Applied Materials’ $9.12 billion third-quarter revenue, up 25% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $3.50, up 41%. Management cited record demand visibility from AI infrastructure, more than 10 new fab projects during the quarter and fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $10.25 billion. The company is also continuing share repurchases and investing $5 billion in its EPIC Center to accelerate semiconductor innovation. The AI Buildout Is Turning Applied Materials Into A Profit Machine
• Positive Sentiment: New board member adds semiconductor expertise: AMAT appointed Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm’s CFO and COO, to its board and Audit Committee. His finance, operations and industry experience could strengthen oversight as Applied Materials pursues growth tied to advanced logic, memory and AI chip production. Applied Materials Appoints Akash Palkhiwala to Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Options market signals elevated uncertainty: A new analysis says options pricing for roughly one year ahead implies a particularly wide potential trading range, extending materially below and above the current level. That suggests investors should expect significant volatility rather than providing a clear directional signal. How Far Applied Materials Stock Can Move In A Year
• Negative Sentiment: CFO share sale may weigh modestly on sentiment: CFO Brice Hill sold 7,500 AMAT shares for approximately $3.6 million, reducing his direct holdings by 5.51%. The sale does not alter the company’s operating outlook, but insider selling can create a limited short-term sentiment overhang. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

AMAT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $510.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price target (down from $790.00) on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Friday, August 14th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Applied Materials in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Applied Materials from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $657.76.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.